


Before

by Serenafray05



Series: Eros [3]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond (Movies), Sherlock (TV), Skyfall (2012) - Fandom
Genre: Emotional Infidelity, F/M, Falling In Love, Infidelity, Light Angst, M/M, Q has a Daughter, Q is a Holmes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-14
Updated: 2014-08-14
Packaged: 2018-02-10 21:06:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2040174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serenafray05/pseuds/Serenafray05
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before the affair, James discovers that Q isn't single.<br/>Not that it stops them or anything, but James knows, before, that Q can never really be his.<br/>Not that it stops him hoping.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Before

**Author's Note:**

> Here's part 3, as promised. Sorry it took so long.

Q's day does not start well.

"M, please, let me have the day off. My daughter is running a fever."

"What about your wife?"

"She's away on a business trip." Which wasn't really a lie, but M didn't need to know that it was family business not work business.

"I'm sorry Q. Find a sitter."

"I can't. I don't exactly have time for a thorough background check."

"What did you do before?" M sounded distinctively exasperated.

"We've never had this problem before."

M sighed. "I need you here Q," he said. "Bring your daughter to work with you. She'll mostly be sleeping anyway right? Or Medical an watch over her."

"No, if she's at MI6 I'm watching her."

"Fine. Just come in before 004's mission goes to hell in a hand basket like it's threatening to do."

"Okay. I'll be there shortly."

And that was how Q found himself in his office at 1407 hours with a feverish daughter and one somewhat irritating and secretly favored double-oh agent.

~

James was in love, or he was getting there, he had a crush at any rate, and when was the last time that had happened? He couldn’t remember. Well, he could. He chose not to. There was a good reason for that too. In fact, there was a good reason for why he didn't fall in love. For some reason he forgot that part.

Damn Q and his snide comments and young looks, and damn him for those ridiculous cardigans and that lush hair that James just wanted to run his fingers through. Damn him for being so desirable and so trustworthy. And that was the problem wasn't it? James could trust Q and how many people did the agent actually trust? Not many. Damn.

There was nothing for it. James would either have to make those feelings go away or ask the silly creature out to dinner. Since banishing his feelings hadn't been working for the past couple months James decided to bite the bullet, so to speak.

"Where's Q?" He asked one of the Q-branch minions.

"In his office double-oh seven. What do you need?" Q's second, R, responded from behind the agent in question.

"I need to see Q."

"He's a little busy at the moment."

"I have his tech."

"Oh. Well, I suppose you can go in."

Bond pushed the door open. 

And froze.

"Sh, sh. It's okay baby girl."

"Q?"

Q twisted his head around in surprise.

"Double-oh seven!" He exclaimed. "What can I do for you?" 

"I have your tech. Is this a bad time?"

"Uh, no, no. I can look at it. Is it in more than one piece?" Q narrowed his eyes at the end of his reply.

"No actually. I managed to bring it back all in one piece." Bond smirked, until Q almost dropped his baby.

"Careful there!" Bond exclaimed, reaching out to help Q catch the little girl in his arms.

"Q?"

"You brought your tech back?! Sh, baby girl, it's okay. Daddy's got you."

"She's yours?"

"Um, yeah."

“Oh.”

“Well don’t just stand there. Give me your equipment.”

“Um, your hands are a little full Q.”

“Put it on the table.”

James did as he was told.

“Great, now, can you hold her for a minute?”

“I suppose.” James carefully cradled the infant in his arms, not wanting to drop her.

“Thanks.”

“What’s her name?”

"Elliana Grace, Ellie for short." Q looked up to see his daughter snuggle herself more comfortably in Bond's arms. "And she's quite taken with you. She hasn't stopped crying for the last ten minutes. It's very miserable for her here at daddy's work."

James smirked at Q's last comment.

"It's cute that you call yourself daddy." He remarked.

Q blushed. "I- Be quiet Oh Seven," he snapped.

James simply laughed. Ellie was just as adorable as her father. James felt a little bit of a pang in his heart. Q was obviously married, or had a girlfriend, but probably married. It would explain the thin chain around his neck anyway.

"I didn't know you were married," he said quietly.

"Yes, well, you're not supposed to, security risk and all that," Q murmured distractedly.

Ah, so he was married. The thought hurt, more than James was expecting. Why should he have assumed that Q was single in the first place? Or even interested in men? Except, it had seemed like he  _was_ interested.

"So, why is this the first time you've brought your daughter to work then?"

"She was supposed to go on a business trip with her mother, but she's ill and I couldn't find a sitter, so she came with me today. M is letting me off early. In fact, once I finish with your equipment I'm leaving."

"Ah. She normally stays home then?"

"Yes, either with a nanny or my wife."

There was something odd about the way Q spoke the words 'mother' and 'wife,' like they felt unnatural on his tongue. Trouble in paradise perhaps? Maybe Bond still had a chance.

"Do you need help?" James asked, watching Q struggle with the bags and the car seat.

Q looked like he was going to be stubborn for a moment, but then relented.

"If you don't mind. Actually, I could use a ride. The tube is bloody awful to navigate with Ellie and she hates it."

"Of course."

~

"Have you eaten?" Q asked, letting himself, James, and Ellie into his home.

"I'm alright, Q."

"No really, the least I can do is feed you."

"Okay," and really, James couldn't object to spending more time with Q, even if he was building his own bed of heartache.

Q nodded and proceeded to pad about the kitchen.

"I didn't know you could cook?"

"I couldn't, at first, but I had to learn for Ellie and my wife. I'm not very good, but I can make pasta."

Again with the twist in his voice at the mention of his wife.

"Q, I- is everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"I mean, are you and your wife okay?" James watched a flicker of- something pass through Q's eyes.

"That depends."

"On?"

"On why you're asking and what you want."

"I wanted to- because you don't sound quite right, when you talk about her."

"What did you want, Double-Oh Seven?"

"I wanted, well, I meant to, ask you on a date, but you're married."

"Why?"

"Because I- does it matter? You're married," James said softly, not willing to open himself up to someone who had already hurt him without even knowing.

"Yes, because you're right, everything is not okay, and I very much like you James Bond. I might even be a little bit in love with you," Q said, a little bit angry, a little bit defiant, a little bit defensive.

"I-" this was not what James was expecting. "Are you proposing an affair?"

Q didn't miss a beat. "If you have no objections."

"No, oh gods no." James breathed. He stepped up next to Q and pulled him into a kiss.

"I need to get Ellie to bed." Q murmured. "It's time for her nap."

"Go, I'll be here."

"Do you want to help me?"

"I- no, there's just- it doesn't seem quite right. I'm already having an affair with you. It's probably more decent for me to not be so involved in your daughter's life."

Q snorted. "There's nothing decent about an affair, James," he said quietly. "And I'd rather you be in her life anyway."

James was a bit taken aback. "Q?"

"Not now, please. Maybe I'll tell you some other time, but right now, I can't."

James nodded. "Okay."

But there were still a lot of questions to answer. Questions that didn't seem all that important when Q came back and led James to his bedroom.

**Author's Note:**

> Q kind of comes off as a bit of a douche, but he's fairly bitter about his marriage at this point in his life for reasons that will eventually emerge. I promise. James makes his life a little better.  
> This particular episode is before Q and James started their affair, and so the tone is a bit lighter than the others, at least in the beginning. It's also a description of the past. Thus, a different writing style than the others. At least, I think it turned out that way. I HOPE it turned out that way.


End file.
